Organic light-emitting display apparatus for increasing contact area between sealing member and insulating layers

ABSTRACT

An organic light-emitting display apparatus including a first substrate including a display area and a peripheral area; a second substrate opposing the first substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the first substrate and including one or more openings; and a sealing member interconnecting the first substrate and the second substrate to each other and interposed between the first and second substrates. The one or more openings are disposed between a first conductive layer disposed on the display area and a second conductive layer disposed on the peripheral area. The one or more openings are at least partially or entirely filled with the sealing member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/983,440, filed Aug. 3, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/504,819, filed Jul. 8, 2019, now issued as U.S.Pat. No. 10,734,603 on Aug. 4, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/057,045, filed on Aug. 7, 2018, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,374,192, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/811,381, filed on Nov. 13, 2017, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,069,105, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/007,923, filed on Jan. 27, 2016, issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 9,818,975, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 ofKorean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0047542, filed on Apr. 3, 2015, inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to an organic light-emitting displayapparatus.

2. Discussion of the Related Technology

A display apparatus is used to provide a user with visual informationsuch as images or videos. Such a display apparatus is being manufacturedin various types in order to display visual information, that is, imagesor videos.

In particular, an organic light-emitting display apparatus is aself-emissive display apparatus that emits light by electricallyexciting an organic compound. Therefore, the organic light-emittingdisplay apparatus may operate with a low voltage and may be manufacturedto be thin, and thus, may have wide viewing angles and fast responsespeeds. Accordingly, the organic light-emitting display apparatus hasbeen considered as a next generation display apparatus capable ofaddressing the problems of a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus.

In such an organic light-emitting display apparatus, a sealing membermay be used to bond a lower substrate and an upper substrate to eachother. A portion where the sealing member is located becomes a deadspace that may not display images.

In general, in the organic light-emitting display apparatus, an areaoccupied by the sealing member that is used to bond the lower substrateand the upper substrate to each other, that is, a dead space, is large.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the invention provides an organic light-emitting displayapparatus, which may comprise: a first substrate comprising a displayarea and a peripheral area; a second substrate opposing the firstsubstrate; an insulating layer disposed on the first substrate andcomprising one or more openings; and a sealing member interconnectingthe first substrate and the second substrate to each other andinterposed the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the oneor more openings are disposed between a first conductive layer disposedon the display area and a second conductive layer disposed on theperipheral area, and the one or more openings are at least partly orentirely filled with the sealing member.

In the foregoing apparatus, the first conductive layer may be a powerline disposed on the display area. The sealing member may contact thefirst conductive layer. The first conductive layer may be disposed at adifferent layer level than the second conductive layer. The firstconductive layer may be disposed above the insulating layer, and thesecond conductive layer is disposed under the insulating layer. Thefirst conductive layer and the second conductive layer may be formed ofdifferent materials from each other. At least one of the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer may comprise metal.

Still in the foregoing apparatus, the one or more openings may extendalong a lengthwise direction of the sealing member when viewed in aviewing direction perpendicular to a major surface of the firstsubstrate. The one or more openings may comprise first and secondopenings separate in a lengthwise direction of the sealing member whenviewed in a viewing direction perpendicular to a major surface of thefirst substrate. A distance between the first and second openings may beless than a maximum width of each of the first and second openings. Theone or more openings may be formed in one of a polygonal shape, acircular shape, and an oval shape.

Further in the foregoing apparatus, the apparatus may further comprise atransistor formed on the display area, wherein the first conductivelayer comprises a material that is the same as a material forming atleast one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the transistor.The second conductive layer may comprise a material that is the same asa material forming a gate electrode of the transistor. A material thatis the same as a material forming the first conductive layer may bedisposed in at least one of the one or more openings. The sealing membermay have a first width measured at its lower surface facing the firstsubstrate and a second width measured at its upper surface facing thesecond substrate, the first width being different from the second width.The first width may be less than the second width. The insulating layermay comprise a material that is the same as a material forming aninterlayer insulating layer formed on the display area.

Another aspect of the invention provides an organic light-emittingdisplay apparatus, which may comprise: a first substrate comprising adisplay area and a peripheral area; a second substrate opposing thefirst substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the first substrate andcomprising one or more openings; and a sealing member interconnectingthe first substrate and the second substrate to each other andinterposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, whereinat least one of the one or more openings is formed in a first conductivelayer disposed on the display area, and the one or more openings arefilled with the sealing member.

In the foregoing apparatus, the first conductive layer may be a powerline of the display area. The apparatus may further comprise a secondconductive layer disposed on the peripheral area, wherein the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer overlap each other.

One or more embodiments include an organic light-emitting displayapparatus capable of reducing the isolation of a sealing member whilereducing a dead space, and a method of manufacturing the organiclight-emitting display apparatus.

One or more embodiments include an organic light-emitting displayapparatus capable of improving a bonding force of a sealing member, anda method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display apparatus.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, an organic light-emitting displayapparatus includes: a first substrate including a display area and aperipheral area; a second substrate facing the first substrate; aninsulating layer disposed on the first substrate and including one ormore openings; and a sealing member for bonding the first substrate andthe second substrate to each other, wherein the one or more openings aredisposed between a first conductive layer disposed on the display areaand a second conductive layer disposed on the peripheral area, and thesealing member fills the one or more openings.

The first conductive layer may be a power line of the display area.

The sealing member may contact the first conductive layer.

The first conductive layer may be disposed at a different layer levelthan the second conductive layer.

The first conductive layer may be disposed on the insulating layer, andthe second conductive layer may be covered by the insulating layer.

The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may be formedof different materials from each other.

At least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductivelayer may include metal.

The one or more openings may be formed long in a lengthwise direction ofthe sealing member.

A plurality of the openings may be separate in the lengthwise directionof the sealing member.

A distance between neighboring openings from among the plurality ofopenings may be less than a maximum width of the plurality of openings.

The one or more openings may be formed in one of a polygonal shape, acircular shape, and an oval shape.

The display area may include a transistor, and the first conductivelayer may include a material that is the same as a material forming atleast one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the transistor.

The second conductive layer may include a material that is the same as amaterial forming a gate electrode of the transistor.

A partial region in the one or more openings may include a material thatis the same as a material forming the first conductive layer.

A width of a lower region in the sealing member may be different from awidth of an upper region in the sealing member.

A width of a lower region in the sealing member may be less than a widthof an upper region in the sealing member.

The insulating layer may include a material that is the same as amaterial forming an interlayer insulating layer on the display area.

According to one or more embodiments, an organic light-emitting displayapparatus includes: a first substrate including a display area and aperipheral area; a second substrate facing the first substrate; aninsulating layer disposed on the first substrate and comprising one ormore openings; and a sealing member for bonding the first substrate andthe second substrate to each other, wherein the one or more openings areformed in a first conductive layer disposed on the display area, and thesealing member fills the one or more openings.

The first conductive layer may be a power line of the display area.

The organic light-emitting display apparatus may further include asecond conductive layer disposed on the peripheral area, wherein thefirst conductive layer and the second conductive layer partially overlapeach other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display apparatus according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the display apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of the displayapparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a sealing member and an openingaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a sealing member and an openingaccording to another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a table showing results of experiments for isolating a displayapparatus according to embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of a display apparatusaccording to another embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of the displayapparatus according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the inventive concept will be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinventive concept are shown. This inventive concept may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the inventive concept to one of ordinary skillin the art. Sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated forconvenience of explanation. In other words, since sizes and thicknessesof components in the drawings are arbitrarily illustrated forconvenience of explanation, the following embodiments are not limitedthereto.

While such terms as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describevarious components, such components must not be limited to the aboveterms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component fromanother.

The terms used in the present specification are merely used to describeparticular embodiments, and are not intended to limit the inventiveconcept. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expressionof the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms suchas “including,” “having,” and “comprising” are intended to indicate theexistence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts,or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and are notintended to preclude the possibility that one or more other features,numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof mayexist or may be added.

It will be understood that when a layer, region, or component isreferred to as being formed or disposed “on” another layer, region, orcomponent, it can be formed or disposed directly or indirectly on theother layer, region, or component. For example, one or more interveninglayers, regions, or components may be present therebetween. As usedherein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least oneof,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list ofelements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

In the embodiment, the display apparatus 100 is assumed as an organiclight-emitting display apparatus, but is not limited thereto. Thedisplay apparatus 100 may be a display apparatus being applied apredetermined electric power to display images, e.g., a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) apparatus, a field emission display (FED) apparatus, or anelectronic paper display (EPD) apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the display apparatus100 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display apparatus 100 includes a firstsubstrate or sheet 10, and a second substrate or sheet 20 arranged suchthat a lower surface of the second substrate 20 faces an upper surfaceof the first substrate 10. The apparatus 100 includes a display area 40,and a sealing member or seal member 30 surrounds the display area 40when viewed in a viewing direction perpendicular to the upper surface ofthe first substrate 10 while bonding the first substrate 10 and thesecond substrate 20 to each other.

The first substrate 10 may be formed of a transparent glass materialmainly containing SiO₂, but is not limited thereto. In an alternativeembodiment, the first substrate 10 may be formed of a transparentplastic material. The first substrate 10 may be a flexible substrate.The flexible substrate may be formed of a material that is light, hardto be broken, and flexible due to a specific gravity that is greaterthan that of a glass substrate, for example, a polymer material such asa flexible plastic film.

The display area 40 may include thin film transistors TA and TB fordriving, a capacitor Cst, and an organic light-emitting diode OLED onthe first substrate 10. In embodiments, the display area may include aplurality of OLEDs forming an array. The display area 40 will bedescribed in more detail later.

The second substrate 20 corresponds to the first substrate 10, and maybe formed of various materials such as a glass material, a metalmaterial, or a plastic material. In embodiments, a functional layerperforming various functions may be formed on the second substrate 20.For example, the functional layer may include at least one selected froma polarization plate, a touch screen, and a cover window.

The touch screen may have a structure, in which a touch screen patternis directly formed on the second substrate 20, for example, an on-celltouch screen panel. The polarization plate may prevent external lightfrom being reflected by the display area 40. The cover window mayprotect the display apparatus 100.

The first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 may be bonded to eachother via the sealing member 30. The sealing member 30 is disposed tocontact a part of the display area 40. The seal member 30 encapsulatesthe display area 40 from outside. Thus, the sealing member 30 mayprotect the display area 40 against the outside. A moisture absorbent ora filler may be disposed in an internal space S sealed by the firstsubstrate 10, the second substrate 20, and the sealing member 30.

Since a part of the sealing member 30 contacts a part of the displayarea 40, a dead space generated due to the sealing member 30 may bereduced. Also, since the sealing member 30 and the display area 40partially contact each other, an area of the display area 40 may bemaintained while reducing the dead space.

A pad portion 50 may be mounted on an edge of the first substrate 10that is not covered by the second substrate 20. Metal wires connectingthe pad portion 50 to the display area 40 may be disposed between thefirst substrate 10 and the sealing member 30.

In addition, the sealing member 30 may be formed of a material that ismelted when a predetermined thermal energy is applied thereto. Thesealing member 30 may be melted by irradiating light. In embodiments,the sealing member 30 may include, for example, glass frit.

For example, after aligning the first substrate 10 and the secondsubstrate 20 with each other, light such as an ultraviolet (UV) ray or alaser beam may be irradiated via the second substrate 20. The sealingmember 30 is melted due to the irradiation of light, and then, the firstsubstrate 10 and the second substrate 20 may be attached to each other.Since the sealing member 30 is compressed while being melted andsolidified, a thickness of the sealing member 30 may be reduced.

In addition, a width w1 of an upper region of the sealing member 30 maybe different from a width w2 of a lower region of the sealing member 30.For example, the width w1 of the upper region may be greater than thewidth w2 of the lower region in the sealing member 30. Therefore, whenthe width w2 of the lower region of the sealing member 30 is formed tobe narrow, a short circuit of the display area 40, in particular, acircuit region, caused because the sealing member 30 pushes the displayarea 40, may be prevented.

In embodiments, the sealing member includes an upper surface facing thesecond substrate and a lower surface facing the first substrate. Thewidth w1 may be measured at the upper surface and the width w2 may bemeasured at the lower surface. When reducing the width w2, a contactarea between the lower surface and a surface that the lower surfacecontacts may be reduced. Thus, to provide sufficient contact area, inembodiments, the lower portion of the seal member 30 may include aplurality of protrusions received in holes and/or trenches. As describedlater, in embodiments, the display apparatus 100 according to theembodiment may include an insulating layer having a plurality ofopenings in order to reduce the width of the lower region of the sealingmember 30, and the sealing member 30 may be filled in the plurality ofopenings.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of the displayapparatus 100 of FIG. 1.

The display apparatus may include an active area AA, and a circuit areaCA extending from the active area AA toward a peripheral area. An edgearea EA including a cutting region may be formed at the periphery. Acell seal area CSA is disposed between the active area AA and the edgearea EA. The active area AA and the circuit area CA become a displayunit, while the peripheral area includes the edge area EA and at leastpart of the cell seal area CSA.

The active area AA includes a region displaying images, and the circuitarea CA includes a region where circuit patterns for electricallytransmitting signals to devices of the active area AA are formed. Inaddition, the cell seal area CSA includes a region for bonding the isfirst substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 to each other. In thedisplay apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, the display unit maypartially overlap the cell seal area CSA. In embodiments, a part of thedisplay unit, for example, a part of the circuit area CA, may overlap apart of the cell seal area CSA. Therefore, the area of the display unitmay not be reduced while reducing the dead space.

A buffer layer 203 is formed on the first substrate 10. The buffer layer203 may planarize a surface of the first substrate 10, and preventinfiltration of moisture or external air into the first substrate 10.The buffer layer 203 may be formed as an inorganic layer such as siliconoxide, an organic layer such as polyimide, or a stacked structure of aninorganic layer and an organic layer.

At least one thin film transistor TFT is formed on each of the activearea AA and the circuit area CA. A plurality of thin film transistorsTFTs may be disposed on each of the active area AA and the circuit areaCA. In the embodiment, different kinds of thin film transistors TFTs aredisposed on the active area AA and the circuit area CA, but are notlimited thereto.

A first thin film transistor TFT1 disposed on the active area AA mayinclude a first semiconductor active layer 204, a first gate electrode205, a first source electrode 206, and a first drain electrode 207. Afirst gate insulating layer 208 and a second gate insulating layer 209are disposed between the first gate electrode 205 and the firstsemiconductor active layer 204 so as to insulate the first gateelectrode 205 from the first semiconductor active layer 204.

A second thin film transistor TFT2 is disposed on the circuit area CA.The second thin film transistor TFT2 may include a second semiconductoractive layer 210, a second gate electrode 211, a second source electrode212, and a second drain electrode 213. The first gate insulating layer208 is disposed between the second semiconductor active layer 210 andthe second gate electrode 211 so as to insulate the second gateelectrode 211 from the second semiconductor active layer 210.

When comparing the first thin film transistor TFT1 with the second thinfilm transistor TFT2, the first thin film transistor TFT1 furtherincludes the second gate insulating layer 209 between a semiconductoractive layer and a gate electrode. In embodiments, the first thin filmtransistor TFT1 has a gate insulating layer that is thicker than that ofthe second thin film transistor TFT2. If a thick gate insulating layeris provided, a driving range of a gate voltage applied to the gateelectrode may become greater.

The first thin film transistor TFT1 may be a driving TFT for driving theorganic light-emitting diode OLED. That the driving range of the drivingthin film transistor becomes greater may denote controlling the lightemitted from the organic light-emitting diode OLED to have a large grayscale.

The first gate electrode 205 and the second gate electrode 211 are notformed on the same layer. Therefore, even when the first thin filmtransistor TFT1 and the second thin film transistor TFT2 are disposedadjacent to each other, they do not interfere with each other. Thus, alot of devices may be disposed on the same area.

The first semiconductor active layer 204 and the second semiconductoractive layer 210 may be formed on the buffer layer 203. The first andsecond semiconductor active layers 204 and 210 may be formed of aninorganic semiconductor such as amorphous silicon or polysilicon, or anorganic semiconductor.

According to the embodiment, the first semiconductor active layer 204and the second semiconductor active layer 210 may be formed of an oxidesemiconductor. For example, the oxide semiconductor includes an oxide ofa material selected from Group VI, XII, XIII, and XIV metal elementssuch as zinc (Zn), indium (In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), cadmium (Cd),germanium (Ge), and hafnium (Hf), and combinations thereof.

The first gate insulating layer 208 is formed on the buffer layer 203,and covers the first semiconductor active layer 204 and the secondsemiconductor active layer 210.

The second gate electrode 211 is formed on the first gate insulatinglayer 208, and may overlap a part of the second semiconductor activelayer 210.

The second gate insulating layer 209 covers the second gate electrode211.

The first gate electrode 205 is formed on the second gate insulatinglayer 209, and may overlap a part of the first semiconductor activelayer 204.

The first gate electrode 205 and the second gate electrode 211 mayinclude a single layer or layers formed of Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, Al,Mo, and Cr, or an alloy such as Al:Nd or Mo:W.

The first gate insulating layer 208 and the second insulating layer 209may include an inorganic layer such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride,or metal oxide. Each of the first gate insulating layer 208 and thesecond gate insulating layer 209 may be formed as a single layer ormultiple sub-layers.

An interlayer insulating layer 214 is formed to cover the first gateelectrode 205. The interlayer insulating layer 214 may be formed as aninorganic layer such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride. According tothe embodiment, the interlayer insulating layer 214 may be formed as anorganic layer such as polyimide.

The first source electrode 206 and the first drain electrode 207 areformed on the interlayer insulating layer 214, and contact the firstsemiconductor layer 204 via contact holes. Also, the second sourceelectrode 212 and the second drain electrode 213 are formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 214, and contact the second semiconductoractive layer 210 via contact holes.

The first source electrode 206, the second source electrode 212, thefirst drain electrode 207, and the second drain electrode 213 mayinclude metals, alloys, metal nitrides, conductive metal oxides, ortransparent conductive materials.

The thin film transistor TFT is not limited to the above-describedstructure, and the thin film transistor TFT may have various types ofstructures. For example, the thin film transistor TFT is formed to havea top gate structure. However, the thin film transistor TFT may beformed to have a bottom gate structure, in which the first gateelectrode 205 is disposed below the first semiconductor active layer204.

A capacitor 215 may be formed on the circuit area CA. A plurality ofcapacitors may be formed on the active area AA.

The capacitor 215 includes a first capacitor electrode 216, a secondcapacitor electrode 217, and a second gate insulating layer 209 disposedbetween the first and second capacitor electrodes 216 and 217. The firstcapacitor electrode 216 may be formed of a material that is the same asthe material forming the second gate electrode 211, and the secondcapacitor electrode 217 may be formed of a material that is the same asthat forming the first gate electrode 205.

A planarization layer 218 covers the thin film transistors TFT1 and TFT2and the capacitor 215. The planarization layer 218 is formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 214. The planarization layer 218 eliminatessteps on thin films and planarizes thin films in order to improve thelight-emitting efficiency of the organic light-emitting diode OLED thatwill be formed thereon. According to the embodiment, the planarizationlayer 218 may have a through hole for exposing a part of the first drainelectrode 207.

The planarization layer 218 may be formed of an insulating material. Forexample, the planarization layer 218 may be formed as a single-layeredstructure or a multi-layered structure including an inorganic material,an organic material, or an organic/inorganic composite material, byusing various deposition methods.

The planarization layer 218 may be formed of an organic material such aspolyacrylates resin, epoxy resin, or benzocyclobutene (BCB), or aninorganic material such as silicon nitride (SiNx).

One of the planarization layer 218 and the interlayer insulating layer214 may be omitted.

The organic light-emitting diode OLED is formed on the planarizationlayer 218. The organic light-emitting diode OLED includes a firstelectrode 219, an intermediate layer 220 including an organic emissionlayer, and a second electrode 221.

A pixel-defining layer 222 covers the planarization layer 218 and a partof the first electrode 219, and defines a pixel area PA and a non-pixelarea NPA.

The pixel-defining layer 222 may be formed of an organic material or aninorganic material. For example, the pixel-defining layer 222 may beformed of an organic material such as polyimide, polyamide, BCB, acrylresin, or phenol resin, or an organic material such as SiNx. Thepixel-defining layer 222 may be formed to have a single-layeredstructure or a multi-layered structure.

Holes and electrons injected from the first electrode 219 and the secondelectrode 221 of the organic light-emitting diode OLED may be combinedwith each other in the organic emission layer of the intermediate layer220 to emit light.

The intermediate layer 220 may include the organic emission layer. Inanother example, the intermediate layer 220 includes an organic emissionlayer and may further include at least one of a hole injection layer(HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an electron transport layer (ETL),and an electron injection layer (EIL). However, the embodiment is notlimited thereto, and the intermediate layer 220 includes an organicemission layer and may further include other various functional layers.

The second electrode 221 may be formed on the intermediate layer 220.The second electrode 221 forms an electric field with the firstelectrode 219 to make the intermediate layer 220 emit light. The firstelectrode 219 may be patterned in each pixel, and the second electrode221 may be on all the pixels as a common electrode so as to apply acommon voltage to all the pixels.

The first electrode 219 and the second electrode 221 may includetransparent electrodes or reflective electrodes.

The first electrode 219 functions as an anode, and may be formed ofvarious conductive materials. The first electrode 219 may be formed as atransparent electrode or a reflective electrode.

For example, if the first electrode 219 is formed as a transparentelectrode, the first electrode 219 includes a transparent conductivelayer formed of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), ZnO, orIn₂O₃. If the first electrode 219 is formed as a reflective electrode,the first electrode 219 may be formed by forming a reflective layer byusing Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, or a compound thereof, andthen, forming a transparent conductive layer by using ITO, IZO, ZnO, orIn₂O₃ on the reflective layer.

The second electrode 221 may function as a cathode. Like the firstelectrode 219, the second electrode 221 may be formed as a transparentelectrode or a reflective electrode.

For example, when the second electrode 221 is formed as a transparentelectrode, metal having a small work function, for example, Li, Ca,LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Mg, or a compound thereof, is formed on theintermediate layer 220, and after that, a transparent conductive layerformed of ITO, IZO, ZnO, or In₂O₃ may be further formed on the metal andthe compound thereof. When the second electrode 221 is formed as areflective electrode, the second electrode 221 may be formed of Li, Ca,LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Mg, or a compound thereof.

The first electrode 219 may act as an anode and the second electrode 221may act as a cathode, but they are not limited thereto. For example, thefirst electrode 219 may act as a cathode and the second electrode 221may act as an anode.

Each organic light-emitting diode OLED may form one pixel, and eachpixel may emit red, green, blue, or white light. However, one or moreembodiments are not limited thereto. The intermediate layer 220 may becommonly formed on all the first electrodes 219 without regard tolocations of the pixels. Here, the organic emission layer may be formedby, for example, stacking layers including light-emitting materialsemitting red, green, and blue light vertically, or by mixing thelight-emitting materials emitting red, green, and blue light. Providedthat white light may be emitted, any type of color combinations may beused. A color conversion layer or a color filter for converting thewhite light into a predetermined color may be further provided.

A protective layer may be disposed on the second electrode 221. Theprotective layer covers the organic light-emitting diode OLED. Theprotective layer may be an inorganic insulating layer and/or an organicinsulating layer.

A spacer 234 may be disposed on the non-pixel area NPA. The spacer 234is disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20.The spacer 234 may be provided not to degrade the displaycharacteristics due to external shock.

The second substrate 20 is coupled onto the first substrate 10. Thesecond substrate 20 may protect the organic light-emitting diode OLEDand the other thin films against external moisture or oxygen.

The second substrate 20 may be a rigid glass substrate, a polymersubstrate, or a flexible film. The second substrate 20 may have astructure, in which organic layers and inorganic layers are alternatelystacked.

The second substrate 20 may include a plurality of touch electrodes 235so as to perform as a touch screen. In addition, functional layers suchas a polarization film, a color filter, and a cover window, may befurther formed on the second substrate 20.

Various circuit patterns may be formed in the circuit area CA. Suchcircuit patterns may include, for example, a power supply line, ananti-electrostatic pattern, and other various electrically conductivematerial features may be formed.

A circuit wire 223 is formed on the circuit area CA. The circuit wire223 may be formed on the planarization layer 218. The circuit wire 223may be formed of the same material as that forming the first electrode219. The circuit wire 223 may be electrically connected to a device onthe active area AA, for example, the second electrode 221.

The circuit wire 223 is connected to a power line 224. The power line224 may be formed on the interlayer insulating layer 214. The power line224 may be formed of a material that is the same as that forming thefirst source electrode 206, the second source electrode 212, the firstdrain electrode 207, and the second drain electrode 213. The power line224 may be a wire to which electric power is applied from outside. Inthe embodiment, the power line 224 may have a triple-layered structureincluding titanium (Ti)/aluminum (Al)/Ti. Since the power line 224 isformed of a conductive material, the power line 224 may be referred toas a conductive layer.

The circuit wire 223 and the power line 224 may be disposed at differentlayers.

For example, the circuit wire 223 may be formed on the polarizationlayer 218. The circuit wire 223 may be formed of the same material asthe first electrode 219 in the same process as the first electrode 219.The power line 224 may be formed on the interlayer insulating layer 214.The power line 224 may be formed of the same material as those of thefirst source electrode 206, the second source electrode 212, the firstdrain electrode 207, and the second drain electrode 213 in the sameprocess.

An end of the circuit wire 223 contacts the power line 224. In theembodiment, at least a part of the circuit wire 223 may overlap with thepower line 224.

The sealing member 30 is disposed on the cell seal area CSA. The sealingmember 30 is disposed between the first substrate 10 and the secondsubstrate 20. A partial area of the sealing member 30 may be disposedalong with a boundary of the circuit area CA while contacting thecircuit area CA. For example, the partial area of the sealing member 30may contact the power line 224.

The sealing member 30 includes glass frit. The glass frit includes glasspowder and oxide powder. An organic material is added to the glass fritincluding the oxide powder to fabricate a gel-type paste, and baked in atemperature range of about 300° C. to 500° C. When baking the glassfrit, the organic material is vapored to the atmosphere, and thegel-type paste is hardened to be the frit of a solid state.

A conductive material layer 228 may be formed below the sealing member30. The conductive material layer 228 may absorb the heat of the laserbeam or reflect the laser beam to transfer the heat to the sealingmember 30. In embodiments, the reflective, conductive material layer 228may be electrically decoupled from any electronic features formed overthe display area.

The conductive material layer 228 may be formed of the same material andat the same layer as the second gate electrode 211 in the second thinfilm transistor TFT2. Otherwise, the conductive material layer 228 maybe formed of the same material and at the same layer as the first gateelectrode 205 in the first thin film transistor TFT1.

The conductive material layer 228 may have a single-layered structure ora multi-layered structure including Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, Al, Mo, orCr. The conductive material layer 228 may be formed of an alloy such asAl:Nd or Mo:W.

At least one insulating layer, for example, a first insulating layer 230and a second insulating layer 231, are formed on the conductive materiallayer 228. When the first insulating layer 230 and the second insulatinglayer 231 are formed on the conductive material layer 228, a hillockphenomenon and generation of pores caused by rapid temperature rising ofthe conductive material layer 228 due to the laser beam may beprevented.

The first insulating layer 230 and the second insulating layer 231include a plurality of openings 229. The plurality of openings 229 maybe provided in order to increase a contact area between the sealingmember 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231.Accordingly, a bonding strength between the sealing member 30 and thefirst and second insulating layers 230 and 231 may be improved. Inembodiments, the openings 229 may include holes and/or trenches formedin the insulation layers 230 and 231. The openings 229 may be filledwith the seal material for forming portions of the seal member 30.

The first insulating layer 230 may be formed of the same material and atthe same layer as the second gate insulating layer 209. The secondinsulating layer 231 may be formed of the same material and at the samelayer as the interlayer insulating layer 214.

The plurality of openings 229 may include a first opening 229 a disposedbetween the conductive material layers 228, and a second opening 229 bdisposed between the conductive material layer 228 and the display area,for example, the circuit area CA. Since the sealing member 30 is filledin the first and second openings 229 a and 229 b, a contact area betweenthe sealing member 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and231 may be increased. Therefore, a bonding intensity between the sealingmember 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231 may beimproved.

In particular, the second opening 229 b is formed to be adjacent to thepower line 224 so that the sealing member 30 may contact the power line224 while filling the second opening 229 b. Thus, the display apparatus100 may have a bonding strength that is greater than that between thesealing member 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231due to the first opening 229 a. Also, if there are impurities under thesealing member 30, the impurities may flow through the second opening229 b, and thus, the impurities may not push the structures in thedisplay area 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, in embodiments, the seal member 30 includes a topinner edge and a bottom inner edge. When viewed in the viewing directionperpendicular to a top surface of the first substrate 10, the top inneredge is located closer to the active area AA than the bottom inner edge.Thus, an inner side wall of the seal member 30 is inclined such that anangle between the top surface of the first substrate in the display areaand the side wall is smaller than 90°. Accordingly, in embodiments, whenviewed in the viewing direction, the seal member 30 overlaps structuresin the display area, for example, the power line 224 and/or the pixeldefining layer as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the sealing member 30 and theopenings 229. As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second insulating layers230 and 231 may include the openings 229 that overlap with the sealingmember 30. The openings 229 may include the first opening or holes 229 adisposed between the conductive material layers and the second openingor trench 220 b that is adjacent to the display area.

There may be a plurality of first openings 229 a that are arranged twodimensionally. A size of the first opening 229 a, for example, a widthof the first opening 229 a, may be 3 μm, and a distance between thefirst openings 229 a may be about 2.5 μm or greater. If the distancebetween the first openings 229 a is less than 2.5 μm, the first andsecond insulating layers 230 and 231 between adjacent first openings 229a may be collapsed to form one opening. In this case, the contact areabetween the sealing member 30 and the first and second insulating layers230 and 231 may be reduced.

Here, the distance between the first openings 229 a is not a distancebetween centers of the first openings 229 a, but may be defined as athickness of the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231 betweenthe two adjacent first openings 229 a. A cross-sectional shape of thefirst opening 229 a may be a square shape, but is not limited thereto.In an alternative embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the firstopening 229 a may be a polygonal shape, a circular shape, or an ovalshape.

One second opening 220 b may be provided. The second opening or trench229 b is formed to be elongated in a length direction 1 of the sealingmember 30 so as to surround at least a part of the display unit. Amaximum width w3 of the second opening 229 b may be about 16 μm. Thesecond opening 229 b has a greater width so that the contact areabetween the sealing member 30 and the first and second insulating layers230 and 231 may be increased and the impurities existing under thesealing member 30 may flow through the second opening 229 b, whereas thefirst opening 229 a increases the contact area between the sealingmember 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231. Across-sectional shape of the second opening 229 b may be a square shape,but is not limited thereto. In an alternative embodiment, thecross-sectional shape of the second opening 229 b may be a polygonalshape, a circular shape, or an oval shape.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the sealing member 30 and theopenings 229 according to another embodiment. When FIG. 5 is comparedwith FIG. 4, the openings 229 may include a plurality of second openings229 b that are adjacent to the display area 40. The plurality of secondopenings or holes 229 b may be spaced apart from each other in thelength direction 1 of the sealing member 30. The maximum width w3 ofeach of the second openings 229 b may be greater than a maximum lengthd1 of the second opening 229 b. For example, the maximum width w3 of thesecond opening 229 b may be about 16 μm and the maximum length d1 of thesecond opening 229 b may be about 4.5 μm. Also, a distance d2 betweenthe second openings 229 b may be about 5 μm.

FIG. 6 is a table showing results of experimenting isolation of thedisplay apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, a comparative example, in whichan insulating layer is formed on the first substrate, the first openingis formed in the insulating layer, and the first substrate and thesecond substrate are bonded to each other by the sealing member, a firstexample, in which an insulating layer is formed on the first substrate,and the first opening and the second opening of FIG. 4 are formed in theinsulating layer, and the first substrate and the second substrate arebonded to each other by the sealing member, and a second example, inwhich an insulating layer is formed on the first substrate, the firstopening and the second opening of FIG. 5 are formed in the insulatinglayer, and the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded toeach other by the sealing member, were provided.

In addition, a force for isolating the first substrate and the secondsubstrate from each other was applied. The first and second examplesneeded a greater force for isolating the first and second substratesfrom each other than that of the comparative example, and showed lessstandard deviation in the force than that of the comparative example.Also, the second example needed greater force than that of the firstexample for isolating the first and second substrates, and showed lessstandard deviation than that of the first example. Thus, it isconsidered that the isolation between the substrates has been improvedwhen the second opening is formed adjacent to the display area.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of the displayapparatus 100 according to another embodiment. When comparing with theembodiment of FIG. 3, a metal material 225 is filled in a partial regionin the second opening 229 b. The metal material 225 may be the same asthat of the power line 224. The metal material 225 may absorb the heatof the laser beam or reflect the laser beam to transfer heat to thesealing member 30. Therefore, attachment of the sealing member 30 may bereinforced.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view expanding a part of the displayapparatus 100 according to another embodiment. When comparing with theembodiment of FIG. 3, the second opening 229 b of FIG. 8 may be formedin the power line 224. In addition, the power line 224 may partiallyoverlap with the conductive material layer 228. Even though the powerline 224 extends to the cell seal area CSA, the second opening 229 b isdisposed in the power line 224, and thus, the contact area between thesealing member 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231may be increased. Therefore, the bonding strength between the sealingmember 30 and the first and second insulating layers 230 and 231 may beimproved.

It should be understood that the embodiments described therein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An organic light-emitting display apparatuscomprising: a first substrate comprising a display area and a peripheralarea; a second substrate opposing the first substrate; an insulatinglayer disposed on the first substrate and comprising one or moreopenings; a sealing member interconnecting the first substrate and thesecond substrate to each other and interposed between the firstsubstrate and the second substrate; a first conductive layer disposed onthe display area; and a second conductive layer disposed on theperipheral area and disposed at a different layer level than the firstconductive layer, wherein the one or more openings are disposed betweenthe first conductive layer and an innermost side of the secondconductive layer and are at least partly or entirely filled with thesealing member.